Little separating Oilers, Panthers in razor-thin Stanley Cup final ahead of Game 3
Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues (17) checks Oilers centre Connor McDavid (97) during the third period in Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup final in Edmonton on Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
SUNRISE, Fla. — A puck over the glass. A tricky bounce off the glass.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers have played a razor-thin, extra-time opening to their Stanley Cup final rematch.
The teams expect more of the same with the NHL's title series tied 1-1.
'These games could have gone either way,' Edmonton defenceman Mattias Ekholm said Sunday following practice at Amerant Bank Arena. 'It's just a little, little detail here and there. And even though you try to do everything right in your power and your will, something could end up going wrong.'
The Oilers got things started with a 4-3 victory on a power-play goal in overtime from Leon Draisaitl off a slick Connor McDavid setup after the Panthers were whistled for delay of game. Florida responded two nights later when Brad Marchand took advantage of a funny hop in the defensive zone before receiving a breakaway pass to seal a 5-4 double OT triumph.
Playing in his fourth Cup final after winning in 2011 with the Boston Bruins and losing in both 2013 and 2019, Marchand said there's zero room for error through 8 1/2 periods of hockey.
'You can't make any mistakes,' the veteran forward said at the Panthers' practice facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 'It's very tight out there. It's been a battle. Very intense.'
So what's it like being part of a game and a series — with so much hanging in the balance — where one moment can change everything?
'It's fun,' Oilers centre Adam Henrique said as the teams prepped for Monday's Game 3. 'This is the time of year you want to be playing. It's a grind and a challenge to get here. Every shift matters so much because it might be a 1-0 game and a 2-1 game, and those mistakes could either cost you or pay dividends for you.
'The emotions that go into it can be a roller-coaster. Just trying to manage those and having the blinders on to how we have to play, it's a challenge in itself.'
Draisaitl, whose team lost Game 7 in last year's final in the same building it will visit Monday, finished a gorgeous passing sequence with his second goal of the night for Wednesday's winner after Panthers forward Tomas Nosek shot the puck out of play in his own zone for a delay-of-game penalty.
Marchand, meanwhile, hit the post earlier in Friday's first OT session before scoring his second of the evening on a stretch pass from Anton Lundell in the second extra period after an Ekholm point shot that missed the net resulted in a friendly Florida bounce.
'Every play matters … 50/50 battles matter,' said Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard, who was caught slightly flat-footed on the game-deciding breakaway following that difficult carom off the glass. 'You just can't let one (lost) battle lead to another battle because that's when things are going to hurt.'
Draisaitl said the razor-thin margins — eight goals apiece, not much room to operate, big saves, big goals and chances at both ends — shouldn't come as a surprise.
'Gone the distance and extra,' he said. 'Two really good teams going at it. You have to stay detailed and know that all those little bounces matter.'
Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch said the smallest details could make the difference for a pair of clubs at the top of their crafts.
'Not taking anything for granted,' he said of the message to his group. 'Whether that's extending a shift or not getting the puck out, not getting the puck in, not finishing your checks … it all adds up.'
The final tally will likely decide the team hoisting hockey's holy grail.
QUESTION MARK
Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who plays left wing on the top line with McDavid and is part of both the top power-play and penalty-kill units, missed practice. The reason for his absence wasn't disclosed, but Knoblauch said the team thinks he will be available Monday.
'We'll play it by ear,' said the coach. 'He'll be a game-time decision.'
MIXING IT UP
Edmonton put its defence pairs in the blender. Ekholm flipped spots with Darnell Nurse alongside Bouchard. Nurse skated with John Klingberg, while Brett Kulak and Jake Walman made up the third pair.
MCJESUS MOMENT
McDavid produced a highlight-reel assist — one even more jaw-dropping than usual — in setting up Draisaitl's man-advantage breakthrough in Game 2's first period.
Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad, who goes way back with Edmonton's No. 97, ended up tumbling to the ice as McDavid shook Florida captain Aleksander Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward, before toe-dragging the blueliner to the ice and delivering a perfect pass.
'He's got multiple options, so that's the biggest challenge,' Ekblad explained. 'You're trying to block a shot, you're trying to block a low pass, a backdoor pass.
'And a walk-on-water toe drag. So, ya, McJesus.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
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